Yes, it repels water from all sorts of surfaces at home, maybe even better than the hype suggests, but what’s the catch?

Rust-Oleum is rolling out its new NeverWet, water-repelling spray with such fanfare, we’re expecting a parade any minute.

NeverWet is a “superhydrophobic” (not just a regular hydrophobic), two-part spray that makes water bead up and run off just about any surface – plastic, wood, stucco, cement, tennis sneakers you want to keep white.

Take a look at the company’s video.

NeverWet, a nanotechnology innovator, has teamed up with Rust-Oleum to bring this miracle coating to the masses. The company “loves” its new product for low traffic-low abrasion items like:

Exposed brick and masonry

Porous wood, like decks

Stucco – claims of warding off mold and mildew have been made

Toilet brushes

Cat boxes and dog beds

Outdoor gear – hiking books, tents, gloves

There’s a catch. Isn’t there always?

The coating wears off quickly on surfaces that you rub or walk on often, like a walkway. Also, it has a matte finish and dries with a little white, hazy, and velvety feeling. So you shouldn’t spray it on:

Glass you’d like to see through (like your car’s windshield)

Black surfaces, like dress shoes

Nice clothing that you don’t want to redesign with a whitish, velvety finish (though the company is working on a fabric coating)

Internet chatter says NeverWet actually works better than advertised. Users have sprayed it on their satellite dish (bird poop rolls off) and workshop clamps (glue rolls off). But some commenters are worried about the health hazards of the spray.

A NeverWet white paper says key ingredients in the top coat are used in food products. “Yes, you have eaten them,” it says.

But — and this is a big but — the company doesn’t vouch for the solvents used in the product.

is an award-winning, Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer who contributes to real estate and home improvement sites. In her spare time (yeah, right!), she gardens, manages three dogs, and plots to get her 21-year-old out of her basement.